Saturday, March 31, 2018

Opinion | The Expulsion of Russian Officials

Opinion | The Expulsion of Russian Officials - The New York Times
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Letters

The Expulsion of Russian Officials

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The expulsions included 48 officials operating under the Russian Embassy in Washington.CreditAl Drago/Bloomberg, via Getty Images
To the Editor:
After the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain, the Trump administration had been largely silent until the actions against Russian officials on Monday. President Trump, however, personally remained silent.
We can anticipate that the Russians will expel a comparable number of American and Western diplomats. At the end of this relocation of hundreds of diplomats on both sides, without the implementation of significant economic sanctions against Russia, both Vladimir Putin and Mr. Trump will wink and nod at each other.
The orchestrated American response with our allies will serve as an impotent gesture, having no impact on restraining Mr. Putin. We are still left pondering what enables Mr. Putin to exercise apparent control over Mr. Trump.
SIDNEY WEISSMAN, CHICAGO
To the Editor:
You write, “The expulsions brought into focus the disconnect between aggressive actions taken against the Kremlin by the Trump administration and the president’s public eagerness to have a cooperative relationship with Mr. Putin.”
The real “disconnect” seems to be on the media’s part — between its preoccupation with President Trump’s spoken words of congratulations to President Vladimir Putin after his re-election and its acknowledgment of the strong actions taken toward Russia by the Trump administration.
Actions speak louder than words. The media’s fixation with a phone call is hard to understand.
ANDREA ECONOMOS
HARTSDALE, N.Y.
To the Editor:
Great, we expelled 60 Russian officials as we should have in response to their attack, with chemical weapons no less, on the soil of one of our greatest allies. The fact that the Trump administration is making a big deal out of this speaks for itself; this action should be a no-brainer and means little.
We’re in a cyberwar with Russia, and we have an administration that barely accepts it and is doing nothing — which is particularly worrisome ahead of the midterm elections.
Don’t let the expulsion of these officials confuse the real issue — the larger Mueller investigation.
JOHN DUDZINSKY, BROOKLYN
To the Editor:
Re “More Action Is Needed on Russia” (editorial, March 27):
While I agree with your suggestion that oligarchs should be sanctioned, I am not so sure that we should take it out on their children by barring them from attending our schools. Punishing children for a parent’s malfeasance does not seem fair.
JAY M. PASACHOFF
WILLIAMSTOWN, MASS.
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